You asked

what was the social safety net like in ancient israel, and how did this command fit in?

The passage, plainly, with room to sit with it.

Deuteronomy 24:19

“When you reap your harvest in your field, and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go again to get it. It shall be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, and for the widow; that Yahweh your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.”

This passage is part of a series of laws given to the Israelites as they prepared to enter the Promised Land, collected in the book of Deuteronomy. These laws aim to establish a just and compassionate society, particularly through ethical practices related to agriculture and care for vulnerable groups.

What might it mean to build 'forgetfulness' into our systems of support today?

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Read alongside it

Leviticus 19:9-10
Another command about leaving corners of fields and fallen grapes for the poor and the foreigner.
Ruth 2:2-3
Illustrates the practice of gleaning in action, as Ruth gathers food in Boaz's field.
Deuteronomy 14:28-29
Describes the triennial tithe to be stored in towns for the Levite, foreigner, fatherless, and widow.

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